Down sweater?

[laurabh3]

I will be making a 5 day, 4 night trip next week to the island. I am wondering if I should bring a down jacket/sweater with me. I was looking at prices for some and seems like most are $150+. Could I get away with bringing long sleeve shirts and a fleece or should I look into buying a down jacket?
Thank you

[JerryB]

Welcome to the forum. I have never brought a down jacket with me, and only once would it have been welcome. That was not early August. I think a fleece or synthetic puffy, coupled with a rain jacket and one long-sleeve shirt will handle what you will face. When it does get cold, I find light gloves and a light stocking cap even more important than a heavier outer layer. All that being said, I may bring a down jacket on my trip tot he island on Labor Day week.

[IncaRoads]

I always bring a down sweater with me. It doubles as a pillow at night. I've seen it go from 85 degrees to 40 degrees in a matter of hours in August. I also bring light gloves and a fleece skull cap, even in the summer. I don't like to be cold.

[bobcat]

I always take my down sweater, or a puffy synthetic vest, to supplement my fleece pullover. But you could probably get by with a heavy fleece and a good longsleeved jersey, and as mentioned above a warm hat and gloves! It gets pretty cold at night; you are down off the ridges and often right on the Lake at the campsites, and cold flows downhill. You can always retreat to your sleeping bag if you get too cold in the evening - I use my down sweater as a sleeping bag supplement when needed, so weight-wise it allows me to carry a lighter sleeping bag.

[Ingo]

My standard layers are a silk base layer, t-shirt, long-sleeve nylon shirt, lighter-weight fleece, rain jacket. Most of my trips have been in July. I've gone from all layers to shorts and t-shirt in the same day. Last summer I also brought a down sweater on a canoe trip--it was a nice addition for evenings on the lake. Although I wouldn't say essential it kept me toasty when I otherwise may have been barely warm enough. Since we were paddling, the 12 oz or so didn't really matter--backpacking I'd probably live without it, but wouldn't take both it and the fleece. I pack it in a light weight 2 liter dry bag--compresses it well and keeps it dry.

[laurabh3]

Thank you so much for all the responses. I think I will go ahead and bring a down jacket, just in case it does get chilly. I am also a person who doesn't like to be cold.

[fonixmunkee]

I always bring a down sweater with me. It doubles as a pillow at night. I've seen it go from 85 degrees to 40 degrees in a matter of hours in August. I also bring light gloves and a fleece skull cap, even in the summer. I don't like to be cold.

I do exactly the same thing as IncaRoads...bring one, use it as a pillow, and bring a light hat and gloves. It's always cooler by the lake.